Vehicles that provide transportation, such as taxis and the like, can be adapted for mobility-challenged individuals in order to provide such individuals the ability to travel in a manner similar to ambulatory passengers. Some of these vehicles have consisted of full-sized vans having an electrical or hydraulic powered wheelchair lift installed on the vehicle to assist wheelchair occupants into and out of the van. These lifts consisted of a horizontal platform that translates vertically to allow the wheelchair or scooter occupant easy access from ground level to the interior of the vehicle for transport. Other vehicles may have a ramp that can be electrically, hydraulically, or manually operated.
Some form of ramp allows the wheelchair occupant to be transported from the ground external to the vehicle to the floor within the modified vehicle. The ramp is typically stored in a vertical position in the rear or slide door entrance of the vehicle. To access the ramp, the ramp may be rotated outwardly about a pivot consisting of the lower end of the ramp located approximately at the floor of the van, until the opposite end of the ramp comes into contact with the ground.
While these types of ramps are generally reliable in function and provide the necessary access to the mobility vehicle, they block the vehicle entrance when stowed. These ramps also occupy valuable space in the interior of the vehicle and are not aesthetically pleasing. In vehicles such as taxis this is particularly problematic because when the vehicle is not transporting a mobility-challenged individual, the space occupied by the ramp obstructs and prevents the use of space otherwise available for luggage and the like.